


International Business Man(-candy)

by PoisonHw



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Abstergo Industries, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And a whole lot of clichés, And just appreciate some calm, I don't know how to write smut, I have a lot of feelings, I just love Arno, Let's forget the Templars-Assassins shit for a moment, So it's gonna fluff all the goddamn way, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, gender neutral reader, i have no shame whatsoever, i love him so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-16 19:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10578207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonHw/pseuds/PoisonHw
Summary: He's handsome, he's nice, he's from another country, and a lot of people appreciate his company.Except you, because you're totally in love, not at all at his level on the job ladder and a terrible mess whenever he appears.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I should be finishing my main fic because it's been a year since the last chapter. But what am I doing instead? this.  
> It's my first Reader thingy, I hope it's not too horrible.  
> Don't hesitate to point out errors to me.  
> I did my best to set a gender neutral Reader thing because WHO KNOWS. There might be male or non-binary readers somewhere who love Arno and I don't want to disappoint. If you see anything breaking that gender neutrality thing, please report and I'll immediatly change that.  
> Enjoy! :D
> 
> Characters belong to Ubisoft.

Your life was, to put it simply, perfect.

At only 25 years old, you had a job you didn't hate, a nice apartment, great friends, you went out to dance and get drinks most nights, were financially stable. Everything was fine. You didn't need anything else. Your life was perfect.

That was, until two week ago.

Because two weeks ago, Abstergo Industries New York had welcomed 28 years old Native-French International Business Manager, nicest-person-in-the-world and officially hottest-man-alive Arno Dorian.

Arno had shiny semi-long brown hair, golden eyes to drown in and a smile you could dream about for hours.

He was supposed to be here for a little while, with some sort of mission from the Paris branch of Abstergo, but word in the corridors said the managers were negotiating for him to stay far, far longer. (Which was good. That way you could continue to daydream because your love life was so empty there was echo and spider webs in this part of your brain.)

For two long, long weeks, you had managed to hide your instant attraction for him and avoid staring, trying your hardest to not be in the same room he was. Your friends, most of them working with you, hadn't seen anything yet.

You were good. This whole show was exhausting, but you were good. Nothing to worry about. You just had to keep doing what you were doing and nothing would happen. It was just a sudden crush. It would pass.

Right. _You keep telling yourself that, kid_ , constantly said a little voice in your head.

 

And then the disaster happened. You were taking a break, going back and forth between the table and the coffee machine (cursing Netflix, because it was totally their fault you hadn't slept enough) and talking with Evie, your best friend in the world.  
She was more perfect than most people in every single way, because she was far more beautiful than you would ever be, was happily in love and even got engaged a month ago.

But everything went down when, also in a passionate discussion with a man you didn't recognize, Arno fucking Dorian appeared in the room. You weren't talking ( _thank God_ ), but your breath still hitched and you visibly gulped before painfully taking your eyes off him.  
Looking back at Evie, your perfect little show was crushed by the look of surprise as she stopped talking and _oh dear_ the smirk she gave you as she licked her lips.

Everything was still fine and you still had it under control, because Evie was a good enough friend and she didn't comment. She continued your previous discussion, acting like nothing had happened. Still, you really wanted to shrink and/or hide under the table right now.

It turned out the two men were here to just take a coffee and go back to their offices, and you almost sighed in thanks to whoever was directing life.

But you were still staring at Arno's ~~beautiful strong~~ back, and your consciousness told you a second too late that maybe, just _maybe_ he was going to turn around- and, therefore, see you. He did, of course, and you (so, so quickly) went back to your coffee, trying to listen to what Evie was saying, hoping against hope that he didn't spot your creepy stalking.

You were pretty sure he did. The other guy was talking about files and reports, and Arno, handsome Arno, took a second to stop listening and shot you a smile -a _smile_ \- so kind you almost fainted. Instead, you just sipped your coffee and prayed the mug would hide your instant blushing.

The second the door closed behind them, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and put your head on the table. _That was the most embarrassing moment of my entire life._ And as you were trying to process just how much you made yourself look like a fool in front of him, Evie laughed out loud. She was even _snorting_. You heard your name at some point, and you raised your head to give her your best death glare.

"Oh my god that is one hell of a crush," she said, so proud of herself and still wiping her tears. "I can't even _imagine_ what the others will say..."

You groaned. "Please don't. I already have a hard enough time trying to avoid him, I don't want to avoid all of you on top of that."

"What do you mean you're avoiding him?" she sounded awfully sincere in her surprise. "You should talk to him!"

"No I should not! He's way out of my league. And I would be all awkward. If there's one thing I don't want it is to embarrass myself in front of him again."

"Do you want me to ask Henry for help? He works on the same level."

Henry was her fiancé. He was from India, one of the nicest men you'd ever encountered, and cared deeply about literally everyone. Including you. 

"Don't... Don't bother him, Evie. It's just a crush. It'll go away."

She raised a brow. Because she knew you too well. "How long have you been telling yourself that?"

Your first reaction was to sigh. "About two weeks now," you were on the verge of cracking. "It's horrible Evie, I'm so tired of avoiding him and apparently he's gonna be here like _forever_. What am I supposed to do?"

"I believe I just answered that question 30 seconds ago," she stated. And she was right.

The conversation ended, though, as you both had to go back to work. Salary didn't show up with magic.

* * *

Three weeks.

Five weeks.

I was harder and harder to avoid Arno. Mostly because your boss had very-important-work for once, and he made you so busy you didn't even have time to look around you.  
Like right now. You were carrying an enormous stack of papers, neatly classified, and your current task was trying to not make everything fall on the ground. They were all tied, so hopefully, even if they fell, it would all stay together. Hopefully.

Your eyes were glued to your precious papers, and you were relying on experience and memory to find your way in the corridors.

And, of course, you ran into someone. Apparently, you weren't the only one lacking attention; that was made obvious by your bumping right into a rock-hard chest. You bounced off whoever you had just ran into, and a good chunk of your precious package fell on the ground.

Vidic was going to kill you in a heartbeat and find another assistant as soon as he was done. You cursed under your breath, kneeling to pick up what had fallen.  
Still, you took the time to profusely apologize, because you were on the 25th floor and people here were of a higher rank than yours.

"I'm so, so sorry, I wasn't watching were I was g-"

"No, no, don't apologize, it's my fault."

You stopped dead in your movements. You would recognize this accent anywhere. Arno kneeled as well and helped you gather the rest of your fallen work, handing them to you.  
It took about two long seconds for your brain to remember how to work, your eyes to look at something else, and your heart to start beating again.

Arno Dorian was watching you with what looked like some kind of worry, and you were just here admiring his eyes.

"...Are you alright?" he gently said, even though his words had the effect of a whip.

"Y-yes, sorry, I just, I'm okay, thank you," you managed to blurt out, taking back your work and standing up.

He smiled again, and -oh dear he was _gorgeous_ \- you tried to do the same, hoping you weren't looking too dumb.

"I remember you."

You must've looked like a wild animal, because you knew exactly what he would remember of you, and it was nothing but embarrassing. The deer caught in headlights, right here, right now.

"Y-you do?"

"Yes. The break room. Caught you staring a bit," and he was smirking, that bastard. You opened your mouth to answer, but, "Feel like you've been avoiding me ever since."

Your response was merely blurted out by your subconscious, without further thinking. "I've been avoiding you since you arrived."

What little smile you had faded on that exact moment. He, on the other hand, only looked slightly puzzled.

"Why is that?"

Oh you didn't have an answer to this question. At least none that did not include telling him he was the biggest crush you'd ever had. You needed to escape. Quickly.

Thankfully, you had a watch, and looking at it saved you.

"Oh dear, I'm so late, Vidic is going to skin me!"

You gave him an apologetic look and sprinted to the elevator, releasing a shaking breath once it started moving. You were still alive. For now.

* * *

So, yeah. You'd thrown away your shot. 

It was 9pm and you were eating junk food on your couch, because it had taken you this long to realize you had actually talked to your crush but ran away instead of taking advantage of it.

You weren't crying, oh no. You did however call Evie, who was on speaker and was probably going to try and knock some sense into you. Having this day off, she didn't get the pleasure of knowing earlier.

"Hello?" well, here goes.

You didn't even hesitate. "I bumped into Arno today at work."

"Oooh, really? What happened? Tell me you asked him out," she said, actually sounding excited.

You closed your eyes. Oh boy. She was going to be pissed. "Actually, I, uh, ran off. And I'm trying to forget about all of it by eating crap food."

If it was a groan or a sigh, you weren't sure, but the sound she made wasn't one of happiness. "That's it. I'm talking to Henry and he's gonna help you."

"No please, Evie, don't, you know I'm bad at romantic relationships!"

"And that is exactly why you need help. Because there's a gorgeous guy at your workplace that you really like, and at your age you should be able to go and talk to him."

"But I'm scared. What if he says no? That'd be the end of my existence."

"Yeah well at least you wouldn't have to avoid talking to him," and damn, she had a good point.

"I'll see what I can do. Enjoy your week off, bitch."

"I love you too," she giggled. "Get that man, tiger."

* * *

Despite this very nice phone call, you weren't in a better mood the next day.

Your need to avoid Arno was stronger than ever. Except for one. little. detail.

He was chasing you.

Ok, chasing wasn't exactly the correct word. But he was actually paying attention to you. He never did before the incident. He looked at you, _smiled_ at you (you would never get tired of this smile) and you died a little more each time.  
You couldn't. You just couldn't. 

How you did it, you didn't know, but you actually managed to not talk to him for two full days.

That was before he came to you. You were standing in a corridor, (not in the way, may we mention) checking your tablet for new emails from Warren and hoping he didn't have any more photocopies to make you do. And you were stopped in your reading by a shadow over you.

You didn't need to look up to know who that was, because now you knew how he smelled (not creepy at all, right). You gulped and raised you head.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dorian," you said with your best smile.

He groaned, and if that didn't turn you on. "Please call me Arno?" you nodded, and he smiled again before clearing his throat. "I just wanted to apologize for last time. Whatever I did to make you run, I'm sorry. I see you avoiding me again, so I just had to come and tell you."

He was wrong, he was so wrong, and you wanted to just kiss him right here so he could understand. But you did not. Instead, you started stuttering again.

"No-no it's not your fault, I just- I had to work and- don't apologize you didn't- you're not what made me run, well not exactly-"

And that last part was too much. When you looked back at him, his brows were raised as a silent question. You didn't have what it took, though.

You closed your eyes once again. "I'm going to run right now because I'm just embarrassing myself. It's not your fault."

You didn't look him in the eyes when you slipped past him and walked as fast as possible to escape.

* * *

So, you were a lost cause. Hey, everyone has a weakness. Yours just happened to be your love life. There were lots of ways to make the bad thoughts go away for a bit. One of them was your all-time fave, though.

Drinking.

But not alone, no! You had friends. You also had a favorite bar. It was Edward who had thrown the idea of going out, and you'd never accepted that fast. You needed to get everything off your mind. Forget about your problems for a little while.

Practically everyone had come; even Connor, who was usually a bit shy, was drinking a beer with everyone else. Jacob was missing, though. The conversations started fairly quickly, and soon enough the whole table was animated with banter from every corner of the group.

You were mostly listening to the last gossips everyone was throwing (all of them were very fond of information like these, especially Ezio). Abstergo was full of crispy news about everybody's life. Especially the bosses. Evie was on your right, laughing at Edward's last joke, and you were busy talking to Aveline on your left.

Then, your best friend elbowed you in the ribs.

You turned violently, ready to burn her with words because it hurts- but you didn't manage to say anything. She didn't have to show you the reason for her action, you saw instantly why she had done it. Or should you say who? Far enough from your table, close to the barman, had just entered a group of men; one of which was Arno.

Great. Even in your nights out, he followed you.

Thankfully, he hadn't seen you yet. You turned back around and glared at Evie, silently begging her to shut the hell up. You knew, though, that everybody being here, the temptation was really strong. Sooner or later, she was going to talk.

You drew a shaky breath and went back to your conversation with Aveline, trying to ignore the weird look she threw your way.

Instead of elbowing you a second time, Evie slapped your right thigh to make you turn around once more. You regretted the moment you turned your head. Arno was literally passing next to your table and, lord have mercy, he saw you.

And waved at you.

The word wave was a little strong, but he actually said hi through a hand motion.  
Because your brain was programmed to be polite, you responded with a weak smile and a hand motion of your own. Big mistake.

Of all the people who could've noticed it, Edward did. And it was Edward. You suddenly wish you hadn't responded.

"That the new guy?" he asked you, with a smile that could only be described as evil.

"He was the new guy like, six weeks ago, Edward," you sighed, trying your best to act normal.

"Huhuh. And how d'ya know him?" he replied, and you noticed that everyone at the table had stopped talking to listen to you both.

"I don't. I ran into him in a corridor once. That's all."

"With all due respect," interrupted Ezio, "I doubt you salute someone you've ran into once. Meaning, you guys have met more than once."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Ok, I'm getting bored," she looked at you. "I'm sorry but I have to tell them he's your mad crush."

You groaned. This night was not going the way you had wanted it to go. They all started chatting about this very subject, and hopefully Arno wasn't close enough to hear them.

You started standing up. "You know what, I'm just going to go home. I don't want to suffer this. I just don't."

They all called your name in unison. "Come on, we're just joking!"

"And you're going to tease me about that for the rest of my life," you said, much harsher than intended. "so I better sleep a bit to be ready for this."

"I promise you," Evie whispered to you. "with their help, by the end of the week you're going on a date with him."

Shooting her with your eyes, you got out of the bar as fast as you could.

* * *

It was all going as you had imagined. Suddenly, you crossed paths with your friends far more often, and they asked you about Dorian every. single. time.

Even Connor, the nice one, the sweet one, was doing it. You were done.

You tried to tell yourself it was Arno's fault. If not for his arrival, everything would be fine in your life. It was hi- no it wasn't. It totally wasn't. He never asked for you to fall for him. He did complicate things for you this past week, however. But in the end, it was still all on you.

You were sitting at your desk, working like a normal human being doing their job, when Evie appeared in front of you. and put (no, threw. crashed?) her hands on it. She was looking at you from her higher point of view. And she was smirking, which was _not_ a good sign.

"So, you've been working for a _long time_ now, I think you deserve a break. And it just so happen that a man named Arno Dorian is currently sitting _alone_ in the _empty_ break room nursing a coffee. If I were you," she said, "I'd take this opportunity."

You gulped. A part of you was screaming that this was not a good idea. A bigger part, though, was telling you that it was your chance. Now or never. You looked at your best friend.

"OK. I'm going. Yeah, I am," you stated, not even believing in your own words.

"You can do this. We're all mentally with you. Now hurry up, I can't tell everyone to stay out of the room forever."

You stood up and made your way to the break room, less and less confident. Each step was directing you to failure.

You managed to get there, and at your surprise, the room was _actually_ empty. It had been no lie. Arno was alone, sipping a coffee and looking at his phone. You took a long breath, and went to get one yourself.

Stay. Calm.

You sat in front of him, blurting out a weak "Hi."

Apparently he hadn't even noticed you ( _well great_ ), but his smile when he did warmed your heart to the point where it melted; and you unknowingly smiled too.

"Hi. Not avoiding me today?"

The gentleness of his words surprised you. "I, uh- no, not avoiding anyone today."

Arno's smile widened. "Good. It's much better this way."

You didn't know what that meant. Still, you continued. "I actually wanted to ask you-"

"Can I ask something first?" did he just cut you in the middle of your sentence? You nodded anyway and he seemed to hesitate a bit. "...would you go on a date with me?"

You smile faded. You didn't believe it. He had asked you out. You were supposed to do it. Did that mean he was interested in you? No, he couldn't. But he did.  
You reaction had startled him, it seemed. His smile had faded too, and he appeared to be ready to jump out of here. You couldn't let him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, it was a bit bold-" and you grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't go, it's just, that's exactly what I was going to ask you, so, you just beat me to it."

His smile came back, warming your heart once again, and he sighed, seemingly content. "Does that mean it's a yes?"

That fact that you were both smiling around your coffees in an empty break room seemed almost beautiful.

"Yes, Arno. I'll gladly go on a date with you."


End file.
